Thomas Jamerson

Baritone - Voice Teacher

Principal Artist - New York City Opera with
additional performances in opera companies throughout the United
States, Mexico, South America, and Israel

Education

Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Music with
Major in vocal performance, Louisiana State University

I have been teaching voice at the Music Conservatory
of Westchester in White Plains since 2001. Throughout my career,
since 1969, I have taught voice privately. While teaching has only been
a part of my career since 1969, I now spend most of my time teaching and
singing.

In 2008, I retired from the American Guild of Musical
Artists (AGMA), a national labor union representing performing artists
in the field of Opera, Dance, and Classical Concert. I processed
all of the federally required Immigration and Naturalization Service
consultations through AGMA for foreign artists or groups requiring a
temporary visa to perform in the United States. I also was liaison
for AGMA to the retirement and health funds, I maintained the archives
of all original contracts at AGMA, and I administered AGMA's website.

I previously held the title of Assistant to the
National Executive Secretary of AGMA, where my responsibilities included
the negotiation and administration of the collective bargaining
agreements for the opera companies nationwide. A great deal of my
time was spent enforcing the contracts on behalf of members through
contacts with Directors and Administrators of opera companies
nationally. I have pursued grievances on behalf of many Artists,
some quite well known, which required the utmost confidentially.

One of my goals when I took the job at AGMA was to create a
health plan for principal artists, who, by virtue of their employment
patterns, were not able to qualify for health coverage in AGMA's
original health plan structure. I was able to initiate a flexible
reimbursement plan for these artists, AGMA Health Plan B.

As part of my duties with AGMA, I served as the
Treasurer of the Associated Actors and Artistes of America (Four A's)
and the Treasurer of the Theater Authority. For many years I was
on the Board of the Department of Professional Employees (DPE), a
department of the AFL-CIO in Washington, DC, where I served on the Arts,
Entertainment, and Media Industry Committee.

For seventeen years prior to my appointment at AGMA, I
sang leading roles with many opera companies in the United States,
Canada, Israel, Mexico, and South America. My main career was with
the New York City Opera, but I also performed with the Baltimore Opera,
Central City Opera, Metropolitan Opera National Company, Miami Opera,
New Orleans Opera, Opera Company of Boston, Opera Company of
Philadelphia, Santa Fe Opera, Tulsa Opera, and others. As the
baritone soloist at Grace Episcopal Church of White Plains, New York,
I have performed several concerts and small operas in the area.